Laron Ronald Williams
Overview
Laron Ronald Williams was an American convicted serial killer whose known crimes were centered in Tennessee between 1977 and 1981. He was first convicted for the murder of Terra L. Wedlaw in Nashville, then later became the subject of a statewide manhunt after escaping from the Memphis Correctional Center in April 1981. During that escape period, he killed Memphis Police Lieutenant Clarence P. Cox and Reverend John Jay Jackson, an assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Jackson, Tennessee.
Williams’ criminal history stands out because his known murders occurred in separate circumstances: one involved the killing of a young woman in Nashville, while the later two occurred after he had already been imprisoned and escaped custody. Authorities also looked at him in connection with other similar strangulation deaths, but his confirmed murder convictions were tied to three victims: Terra L. Wedlaw, Lieutenant Clarence P. Cox, and Reverend John Jay Jackson.
Confirmed Victims
- Terra L. Wedlaw – October 18, 1977 – Nashville, Tennessee. Wedlaw was 19 years old and had reportedly come to Nashville from Tampa, Florida. Williams was convicted of murdering her after an encounter at the Capitol Park Inn. Her death was attributed to strangulation. Williams later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Davidson County and received a 10-year prison sentence on January 4, 1979.
- Lieutenant Clarence P. Cox Jr. – May 12, 1981 – Memphis, Tennessee. Cox was a 53-year-old Memphis Police Department lieutenant. He encountered Williams while Williams was an escaped prisoner. During the attempted arrest, Williams gained control of Cox’s service weapon and fatally shot him. Williams was later convicted of first-degree murder in Shelby County for Cox’s death.
- Reverend John Jay Jackson – May 14, 1981 – Jackson, Tennessee. Jackson was a 35-year-old Catholic priest and assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. He was killed inside the church rectory during a burglary. Evidence presented at trial showed that he died from a gunshot wound, with signs of a struggle inside the rectory. Williams was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary in connection with Jackson’s death.
The Murder of Terra L. Wedlaw
Williams’ first confirmed murder case began in Nashville in 1977. Terra L. Wedlaw was 19 years old and had recently arrived in the city from Florida. Williams encountered Wedlaw and took her to the Capitol Park Inn. After the encounter, he strangled her and fled. Investigators later connected him to the killing, and reports indicate that Wedlaw’s birth certificate was found in his possession after his arrest.
The Wedlaw case drew attention because police were also looking into similar deaths of women in the Nashville area. Two women, Mary Jo Corn, also known as Larisa Ann Marsay, and Bessie Wallace, were reportedly found strangled and bound in separate cases. Williams was investigated as a suspect in those killings because of similarities to Wedlaw’s murder, but the only confirmed conviction from that period was for Wedlaw’s death.
Conviction and Imprisonment
Williams pleaded guilty in Davidson County to the murder of Terra L. Wedlaw and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in January 1979. He was sent into the Tennessee prison system and was eventually held at the Memphis Correctional Center. At one point, he was placed in a work-release program, but his conduct reportedly led to disciplinary problems and his removal from that arrangement.
On April 22, 1981, Williams escaped from the Memphis Correctional Center. His escape transformed him from an imprisoned murderer into a fugitive. Law enforcement began searching for him, but he remained at large long enough to commit two additional murders within days of each other in May 1981.
The Murder of Lieutenant Clarence P. Cox Jr.
On May 12, 1981, Memphis Police Lieutenant Clarence P. Cox Jr. encountered Williams while checking on a suspicious person. Cox was a veteran officer and was attempting to take Williams into custody when the confrontation turned deadly. Williams was able to seize Cox’s service weapon and shoot him. Cox died in Memphis that day.
The killing of a police lieutenant intensified the search for Williams. Authorities considered him armed, dangerous, and desperate. The fact that Cox had been killed with his own service weapon made the case especially alarming for law enforcement, because Williams had escaped prison while already serving a sentence for murder and had now killed again while avoiding capture.
The Murder of Reverend John Jay Jackson
Two days later, on May 14, 1981, Williams killed Reverend John Jay Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee. Jackson was an assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. He was found dead inside the rectory on the morning of May 15 after he failed to appear for morning Mass. The crime scene showed signs of forced entry, disorder, and a struggle.
Court records from Williams’ appeal describe evidence that Jackson died between approximately 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. on May 14. He had been shot, and the rectory showed signs consistent with a burglary. A shattered sliding glass door, disturbed papers, and overturned items pointed to a violent intrusion. Williams was later connected to the crime through witness testimony and evidence surrounding a revolver he sold after the killing.
Capture and Trials
Williams was captured on May 18, 1981, at a restaurant near a motel where he had been staying. He was not armed at the time of arrest. After his capture, he faced separate murder prosecutions for the deaths of Lieutenant Cox and Reverend Jackson. He was convicted of first-degree murder in both cases.
For the killing of Lieutenant Cox, Williams received a death sentence in Shelby County. For the killing of Reverend Jackson, he was also convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary and again received a death sentence. His prior conviction for the murder of Terra L. Wedlaw was used during sentencing proceedings to show a history of violent felony conduct.
Suspected Victims and Other Investigations
Authorities suspected Williams in at least two additional Nashville-area strangulation cases because the victims’ deaths shared similarities with the murder of Terra L. Wedlaw. These suspected cases included Mary Jo Corn, also known as Larisa Ann Marsay, and Bessie Wallace. Both women were reported to have been found nude, strangled, and bound, which led investigators to examine whether Williams may have been responsible.
- Mary Jo Corn, also known as Larisa Ann Marsay – Nashville area, Tennessee. Corn was reportedly 24 years old and was one of the women whose strangulation death was investigated as possibly connected to Williams. He was not confirmed as her convicted killer.
- Bessie Wallace – Nashville area, Tennessee. Wallace was reportedly 24 years old and worked as a bank teller. Her death was also investigated because of similarities to other strangulation cases. Williams was not confirmed as her convicted killer.
Death in Prison
Williams never reached execution. On July 7, 1985, while on Tennessee’s death row, he was attacked by other inmates during an exercise period at the Tennessee State Prison in Nashville. He suffered fatal blunt force injuries and died at Hubbard Hospital. His death ended the appeals and execution process before the state could carry out either of his death sentences.
Legacy of the Case
The Laron Ronald Williams case is remembered as a sequence of escalating violence: a 1977 murder conviction, a prison escape, the killing of a police lieutenant, and the murder of a priest inside a church rectory. His confirmed victim count stands at three, while investigators also examined whether he may have been responsible for additional strangulation murders. His crimes left lasting damage across Nashville, Memphis, and Jackson, Tennessee, and his death in prison closed the case without a formal execution.
